Accessibility at the Museum

• Entry can be from either Great Russell Street (Main entrance), or via Montague Place (North entrance). If the weather is poor, we recommend using the Montague Place entrance. 
• The Main entrance on Great Russell Street has 12 steps with a handrail.
• The North entrance on Montague Place has 12 steps and lift access.
• There are self-operable lifts on both sides of these steps. 

• For everyone's safety, all bags, rucksacks, packages and personal items may be searched before entry.
• Wheeled cases, sports equipment and large items of luggage are not allowed on British Museum premises.
• Storage for luggage is available at major rail stations, including Euston, King's Cross and Charing Cross.
• If you need to bring large luggage onto the site for medical reasons that you are not able to be without, please contact access@britishmuseum.org
• The Visitor and Member cloakroom is open daily from 10.00–17.00 (20.30 on Fridays). Last deposits are 1 hour before closing time. Please collect items 30 minutes before closing time. More information is available on the Visit page. 
• An easy access route is available for disabled visitors and visitors with buggies and/or children under five. Please speak to a uniformed member of staff for assistance. 
• If you require assistance or the entrance into the Museum poses an accessibility barrier, please let our uniformed staff know and they'll be happy to assist you.
• Please don't leave your bags unattended at any point during your visit. 

On-site Blue Badge parking

• There are a limited number of on-site parking spaces available for visitors to the Museum who have a Blue Badge.
• These spaces must be booked in advance.
• To request a space:
  • Email: tickets@britishmuseum.org 
  • Phone: +44 (0)20 7323 8181
• Please allow at least two working days' notice for bookings. Any parking or wheelchair requests for a Monday must be received no later than the previous Friday afternoon.
• When booking, you'll be asked to provide:
  • Your name
  • Contact details
  • Vehicle registration number, make and model
  • The date and time of your visit
  • Blue Badge number
• On arrival at the Museum, the driver of the vehicle will be asked to show their driving license as proof of identity. Please have your Blue Badge clearly on display during your visit.
• For safety and security, vehicles will be searched before entry.
• If asked, you must allow our security officers to search your bags or those of the passengers travelling in the vehicle before you enter the Museum.
• You're not permitted to leave your guide, assistant or companion animals unattended in your vehicle at any time.
• Vehicle access for Blue Badge holders is through the main entrance on Great Russell Street. Visitors using Blue Badge parking can exit via the South entrance.

Off-site Blue Badge parking

• There are Blue Badge parking bays near the Museum on Montague Place, Montague Street and Coptic Street.

Minibus bookings

• Due to space restrictions we are unable to accommodate minibus bookings. We apologise for any inconvenience this causes to your visit

Please note, quieter times and sensory information will vary. If you have any queries or concerns please get in touch with the access team. Contact information is provided at the top of this page.

• View our sensory map.
• The Museum can sometimes be crowded and noisy.
• The quietest times to visit the Museum are when the galleries first open between 10.00 and 11.00 and again in the afternoon after 16.00. Please remember that the Museum closes at 17.00, except Fridays when we're open until 20.30.
• The middle of the day is usually the busiest time in the Museum galleries, cafés and shops.
• Please note that some Friday late openings have additional activities that can be busy and noisy – check our Exhibitions and events page when planning your visit.
• Our busiest times are at weekends, during UK school holidays, UK bank holidays, Christmas and the New Year.
• Our permanent galleries can get especially busy during the first and final weekends of a special exhibition. Check our Exhibitions and events page when planning your visit.
• The quietest time of the year tends to be November and early December.

Spaces that tend to be quieter:

• Room 1: Level 0 
• Room 2: Level 0
• Room 2a: Level 0
• Room 15: Level 0
• Rooms 19–20 and 20a: Level 0 and mezzanine 
• Room 21: Level 0 
• Room 42: Level 3
• Rooms 43 and 43a: Level 3
• Rooms 46–47: Level 3
• Room 48: Level 3
• Rooms 90 and 90a
• Rooms 92–93 and 94: Level 5

Spaces that tend to be crowded and noisier:

• Great Russell Street entrance
• Montague Place exit: Level minus 1
• North entrance foyer: Level minus 1
• Weston Great Hall: Level 0 
• The Postcard Gallery: Level 0
• The Great Court: Level 0 
• Room 4: Level 0 – OPEN
• Rooms 6–6a and 6b: Level 0  
• Room 17: Level 0 
• Room 18: Level 0 
• Room 23: Level 0 
• Room 24: Level 0
• Room 30 (special exhibition space): Level 0 
• Room 33: Level 1
• Room 35 (Special exhibition space): Level 1 
• Rooms 53–54–55–56: Level 3 
• Rooms 57–58: Level 3 
• Rooms 59–61–62–63–64–65: Level 3 
• Room 66: Level 3 

Lighting

Light levels vary across the Museum. Some of the Rooms are dimly lit to preserve the exhibits. Other rooms have natural or bright lights. We sometimes have moving lights as part of our exhibitions.

Spaces with natural light:

• The Great Court: Level 0
• Room 1: Level 0
• Room 2: Level 0 
• Room 4:  Level 0
• Rooms 7–8: Level 0 
• Room 9: Level 0 
• Room 33: Level 1
• Rooms 67 and 95: Level 2 

Spaces with low or subdued light:

• Room 2a: Level 0 
• Room 25: Level minus 2 
• Rooms 26 and 27: Level 0 
• Room 30 (special exhibition space): Level 0
• Room 35 (special exhibition space): Level 1
• Rooms 61–63: Level 3
• Rooms 90 and 90a 
• Rooms 92–94: Level 5

Temperature variations
The temperature varies as you move through the Museum and some galleries and spaces are quite cold. You may want to bring an extra layer of clothing to put on in these areas.

Manual wheelchairs are available to pre-book free of charge for your visit. These can be collected at the Great Russell Street entrance only and returned to either the Great Russell Street entrance or the Montague Place exit at the end of your visit.

• If you'd like to reserve a wheelchair, please:
  • Email: tickets@britishmuseum.org
  • Phone: +44 (0)20 7323 8181
• Please allow at least two working days' notice for reservations.
• Unfortunately, the Museum is unable to provide staff assistance around the Museum for wheelchair users.
• Wheelchairs may not be taken outside of the Museum site.

Mobility scooters

• Mobility scooters are welcome and permitted inside the Museum.
• If you have a Class 3 vehicle you will be asked to set the speed limiter to 4mph (6.44 km/hour).
• Please remember to reduce your speed accordingly in congested areas or to adjust to others who may not be able to move out of your way quickly.

If you need assistance during your visit, staff members will be able to help you:

• The Visitor Services team wear blue or black shirts and a red lanyard/name badge.
• You can also ask for assistance at the Ticket Desk in the Great Court.

Alarms
It's unlikely that an alarm will sound during your visit. If one does, please don't worry – just follow any instructions you are given by members of staff and make your way to the nearest exit.

• View the locations of the lifts on the Museum map, or pick up a free paper map of the Museum in the Great Court. 
• Most lifts in the Museum are wheelchair accessible, have audio announcements and include braille signage.
• Galleries with no lift or level access at present:
  • Ground floor
    • Room 16: Bassai sculptures (Mezzanine) 
    • Room 20a: Greek vases
    • Room 21: Mausoleum of Halikarnassos
    • Room 22: The world of Alexander
  • Upper floors
    • Room 33b: Chinese jade (The Selwyn and Ellie Alleyne Gallery)
    • Room 69: Greek and Roman life (Mezzanine)
• Wheelchair access to the Pizzeria is through a back-of-house route. Please ask a uniformed member of staff for assistance.  
• For more information on lift dimensions and access features please contact:
  • Email: access@britishmuseum.org
  • Phone: +44 (0)20 7323 8971

• View the locations of accessible toilets, baby changing and baby feeding areas on the latest Museum map, or pick up a free paper map of the Museum in the Great Court. 
• Accessible toilets are available in the Great Court: Level 0
• All of our accessible toilets have:
  • Pull-cord alarms that link back to our Control Room.
  • A flashing light to indicate when the building is being evacuated.
• We don't have a Changing Places toilet on-site. The nearest Changing Places toilet is at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

• There are some seats in selected galleries, special exhibitions, public spaces, cafés and the Great Court Restaurant.
• Most of our seating is benches or stools.
• There is some seating with backs in selected galleries and in the outside space at the front of the Museum.
• You're welcome to use walking sticks or folding stools with seat attachments, provided they have rubber stoppers.
• A limited number of folding stools are available at the Main entrance on Great Russell Street. Please drop these off at the Montague Place exit as as you leave the Museum.

Induction Loops are installed at the Ticket Desk in the Great Court.  

• Service, assistant and emotional support animals – including assistant dogs in training – are welcome at the Museum.
• Service, assistant and emotional support animals must be kept with you at all times and be identifiable as working. This includes a harness or lead which indicates their status and a high standard of behavior in keeping with the animal's task and training.
• If your service, assistant or emotional support animal is not a dog, please contact the accessibility team at access@britishmuseum.org prior to your visit to avoid disappointment on the day.
• The nearest toilet/toileting area for service, assistant and emotional support animals is located in Russell Square, Bloomsbury, London WC1B 5BG.

To download in-depth access guides for different galleries and spaces across the Museum please visit AccessAble.

British Sign Language Guides are available on the British Museum app.

You can also access a selection of BSL films on your own device.

Please note the Audio Descriptive Guides are temporarily unavailable, until further notice. 

Access a selection of tracks on your own device.

Touch objects from the collection and learn about them from one of our volunteers at our Hands on desks. Sessions are free and take place daily from 11.00–16.00, subject to availability, in the galleries listed below:

Room 1 - Enlightenment 

Room 2 - Collecting the world

Room 24 - Living and Dying

Room 49 - Roman Britain

Room 68 - Money gallery

Room 42–43 - The Islamic world

Room 33 - China and South Asia 

The Egyptian sculpture gallery

• A free self-guided or volunteer-led touch tour is available for the Egyptian sculpture gallery (Room 4).
• The tour consists of nine highlight objects in the Egyptian sculpture gallery that can be explored by touch.
• Supporting information for the Touch tour is available in the following formats:
  • Large print
  • Tactile drawings with braille information
  • Audio on your own smartphone or tablet
  • As a Guided Touch tour for blind and partially sighted visitors to the Museum (advance booking only)
• Visitors wishing to go on a self-guided Touch tour should go to the Information Desk in the Great Court to collect Touch tour identification, large print and braille books.
• The audio-descriptive guide can be downloaded below, along with the contents for the large print guide and the tactile drawings and braille book.
• Please note: audio information is only available on your own smartphone, tablet or MP3 Player.
• To book a Guided Touch tour, email access@britishmuseum.org at least four weeks in advance of your visit with the following information:
  • Your contact details
  • The number of blind and partially-sighted people in your party and the number of access companions (if applicable).
  • Your preferred date and time. 
• Download large print guide
• Download braille book with raised drawings
• Using a mobile or tablet device? Play audio on SoundCloud

The Parthenon galleries

• A free self-guided tour is available for the Parthenon galleries (Room 18 & 18b).
• The tour consists of 12 stops which provide an introduction to some of the sculptures that decorated the Parthenon
  • Supporting information for the Touch tour is available in the following formats:
  • Large print
  • Tactile drawings with braille information
  • Audio on your own smartphone or tablet
• To book a Guided Touch tour, email access@britishmuseum.org at least four weeks in advance of your visit with the following information:
  • Your contact details
  • The number of blind and partially-sighted people in your party and the number of access companions (if applicable).
  • Your preferred date and time.
• You can listen and enjoy the Audio Description on our SoundCloud channel.

• Large print guides for selected galleries and some temporary exhibitions are available to download as a PDF from the relevant Gallery pages.
• Email: access@britishmuseum.org for more information.
• Large print guides are available for all paid-for exhibitions and are downloadable from the relevant exhibition webpage, under the access tab.

• Sensory support backpacks – designed as a fun way to help families explore the Museum – are available from the Families Desk in the Great Court, which is open on weekends and school holidays from 10.00–16.30.
• They include an activity booklet to guide you around the Museum, giving you information about the collection and fun sensory-based activities you can complete along the route.
• See the Family backpacks page for more information. 

These resources have been adapted from Early morning explorers event activities for you to do at home.

• Nereid colouring sheets 
• Under the sea sensory bin
• Parthenon challenge and metope puzzle sheet
• Odysseus sensory storytelling session script
• Build your own Trojan Horse

 

The Museum has a range of inclusive learning opportunities available for SEN (Special Educational Needs) schools including taught handling-sessions and digital workshops.